Household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, garbage disposals, and hot water heaters often contain, circulate, dispense, and otherwise use water while operating. Due to failed gaskets, worn seals, broken or improperly connected hoses, and/or plugged drain pipes, water used by such household appliances can leak or overflow into the floors and walls surrounding the area in which the appliance is located. Such leaks and overflows can cause extensive damage to carpets, furniture, flooring, and personal possessions within the home; slow leaks can be even more serious, resulting in serious structural damage to the home itself.
Often, cabinets and the like are built around at least the base of appliances that use water. For example, a garbage disposal will normally be mounted to the drain of a kitchen sink and will be entirely out of sight within the cabinet. A dishwasher is normally mounted under a kitchen countertop such that only its front face is exposed. A refrigerator will often be abutted on at least one side, and usually on two sides, at its bottom by kitchen cabinets.
In any of these cases, a slow leak will likely be out of sight and may go undetected for a long period of time; such a slow leak can cause water to seep into the cabinets adjacent to the appliance and eventually into the flooring and framing of the house. If this situation persists for a long period of time, the cabinets, flooring, and frame of the house can be extensively damaged.
The need thus exists for a system for preventing slow water leaks in household appliances from damaging wooden components of a house.